And, while the $1.1 trillion spending plan is considered only a road map toward what a finalized 2018 budget might look like, there is nonetheless significant concern about what the numbers will be when the budgeting process is completed. The chances of Trump's first budget passing through Congress unscathed are considered slim.

The National Park Service which has 1,548 jobs in the state and is responsible for Rocky Mountain National Park in nearby Estes Park, is also among those in the budget crosshairs.

"The budget is a moral document, right? This shows where the president is coming from and the results are not good," said Jessica Goad, a spokesperson for Conservation Colorado.

"It is correct that this is the starting point, but the president's budget is an important starting point, especially when those negotiations begin in Congress. Certainly, there are a lot of leaders in Congress right now who have this message of wanting to cut spending and cut the deficit. If this is where we are starting from, I'm not sure if there is hope about where we're going to end up."

NOAA and NIST personnel referred questions about the local impact of the proposed budget to the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C.

Patricia Lang, a physical scientist with the Carbon Cycle Group at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory, analyzes an air sample collected by aircraft over Pennsylvania as part of a research project in their labs on Thursday in Boulder. (Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)

As for the NOAA cuts, DOC spokesman Will Reinert said the proposed "zeroing out" of $250 million in NOAA grants and programs supporting coastal and marine management, research and education, including Sea Grant, should not actually affect the Boulder facility.

Also, Commerce spokesman James Rockas said the scenario for NIST may not be so severe.

"The specific budget items pertaining to NIST do not refer to the operations at the Boulder campus," he said. "The more detailed May budget will have more details to individual programs."

Reinert also underscored that each and every detail of the so-called "skinny" budget proposal — which also includes a 31 percent slashing of Environmental Protection Agency spending — is subject to change.

"This proposal is just a budget blueprint. It's not final in any way," Reinert said. "The final budget will be presented in May." The Trump proposal "is just a vision of what the president envisions for America and what will make America first."

'Derailing' progress

Trump's version of America firstness, however, is alarming to some at the local level.

"It is disappointing to see the proposed elimination of key Earth observing platforms, investments in advanced energy research projects, and other aspects of the federally supported efforts to understand how our world is changing, and how we can position ourselves for a successful long-term energy future."

About 380 CIRES scientists and staff work within NOAA.

In his prepared statement, Abdalati also said, "Economic, national security, social, and humanitarian benefits accrue from having sufficient and accurate environmental information and forecasts. Ensuring that the United States is best positioned to capitalize on opportunities and meet any challenges they present requires a robust capability to observe and understand our planet."

"UCAR is concerned that the proposed funding cuts to Earth system science research would derail the nation's progress toward improved prediction and weaken the position of the United States in the world," Busalacchi said.

Colorado science a 'national treasure'

Dan Powers is executive director of Boulder's CO-LABS, which next week will release its updated report, compiled by CU's School of Business, on the economic impact of federal labs on the Colorado economy. For 2012 — the report was last issued in 2013 — that number had been put at $2.3 billion.

Beyond being a local driver of the economy, Powers said, the work of facilities such as NOAA and NIST has value that registers at the national level.

"The science going out of the labs in Colorado is a national treasure and a national resource," Powers said. "Just in the last few days, it's been evolving quickly how our communication is going much further outside Colorado, demonstrating how this science from labs in Colorado is really used by agencies throughout the country.

"The labs themselves, while located here, definitely provide deeply important scientific information for agencies all over the country."

Powers said affected federal employees in Boulder benefit from a local congressional delegation that understands their importance both to the economy and the advancement of Earth sciences.

The office of U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, for example, issued a statement by the congressman on Thursday that said in part, "This is a carelessly crafted wrecking ball. The President's budget says less diplomacy, more bombs. He's saying less resources for underserved students, and more for private schools.

"He's saying less funding for our world-renowned scientists, and more dollars for walls. He's saying less environmental protections, and more pollution in our air and water."

Powers said, "Our congressional leadership of Colorado is not where we see a lot of challenge, in explaining the value of the labs.

"It's outside of Colorado; that's a tougher message to send from Colorado. A congressman in Alabama is not necessarily very attuned" to the attributes of some Colorado-based programs that might be on Trump's chopping block."

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